Babysitting - A Team Crafted Fanfic
by SavannahtheLeafeon
Summary: After finishing the creation of a new potion, Seto calls up his friends to come check it out. He decides to try the potion with them, and leaves Brice (GoldSolace) to watch over the effects. However, when the effect is not as Brice expected, he must fix everything.
1. Chapter 1: Phone Calls and Potions

"Pick up, pick up, pick up..." Seto drummed his fingers on the table in front of him. He was calling just about everyone he knew to tell them about his new potion that he created, hopefully being able to use them as test subjects. Right now, he was waiting for Sky, the first friend he was calling, to pick up the phone. Finally, the ringing stopped and a voice came from the other end of the line.

"Hello?" Sky answered sleepily.

"Sky!" Seto shouted, ecstatic. "I'm so glad you picked up! I just finished creating a new potion and I'd like you to come see it!"

"Seto, it's seven in the morning," Sky grumbled. "Can't you wait until noon or so?"

"Sky, please!" Seto pouted. "I've been working on this potion all month, trying to perfect it and test it out on poor little pigs and cows. I spent all night working on it. I haven't gotten any sleep, but I'm excited to show this to you! Can't you be a good friend and do this for me? Please?"

"Oh, alright," Sky gave in. "I'll be over by eight." The phone clicked, showing that Sky had hung up. Seto jumped up in joy and dialed Ty(Deadlox)'s number, hoping to get as many friends there as possible.

At about eight-thirty, everyone had finally arrived. Seto looked around at everyone who came. There was Sky, Ty, Tyler (MunchingBrotato), Jerome (ASFJerome), Mitch (BajanCanadian), Brice (GoldSolace), Sub (SubZeroExtabyte), Quentin (HuskyMudkipz), Bashur (BashurVerse), Ian (Ssundee), Jordan (CaptainSparklez), Jason (MinecraftUniverse), Martin (Bodil40), Double (Mr360Games), Ryan (xrpmx13), Okward (OkwardIndustries), and Ant (AntVenom). Seto clapped his hands together, getting everyone's attention.

"Alright, everyone!" he began. "I have gathered you all here today-"

"Very early in the morning," Sky interrupted.

Seto briefly glared at him and continued, "As I was saying, I have gathered you all here today to show you a potion I have been working on for the past month. However, I'm not just showing it. You all will be testing it."

"WHAT?!" Martin shouted.

"What if it hurts us?" Ty inquired, trembling.

The room clamored in an uproar, trying to decide what to do on their own. All argued over whether to trust Seto or not. Distressed, Seto tried to calm them down. However, his efforts made everything worse. The crowd even pushed him away once. Things were getting too out of hand.

"SETTLE DOWN!" Seto yelled over the voices of the furor, his voice raised as high in volume as it could go. The crowd stopped and turned to stare at him in awe, silent. Seto cleared his throat.

"Listen," he said in a much quieter voice. "I have tested this potion on animals already. They weren't harmed at all. As I have seen myself, the effect of any potion doesn't differ from animals to humans. You all won't be hurt by trying this out. Trust me. Please."

The crowd looked back at one another. In hushed voices, they began to elaborate to each other on this. Most looked worried, while others remained expressionless. Sometimes they looked back over at Seto, casting worried glances. Seto grew worried and started biting his nails. Would they reject his trust? Finally, the group broke out of their circle and stood in a line, staring at Seto.

"We have decided," Tyler announced. "We will trust you and test this potion."

Seto beamed, just about jumping into the air with joy. He hastily grabbed the potion from the table behind him. It was encased in a glass flask, swishing a bit whenever its container moved. It was a pale yellow color and sparkled a bit in the light. With clammy hands, Seto poured the fluid into several small plastic cups. He handed a cup to everyone except for Brice, keeping that one for himself.

"Wait, shouldn't I get that one?" Brice questioned his friend. Seto shook his head, smiling softly.

"I want to try this myself," he responded. "I've never tried my own potions before, and it would be fun to join this activity. Besides, I'm with my friends for once."

"So what should I do?" Brice asked, worried.

"I trust you," Seto replied, putting a hand on Brice's shoulder. "You're my best friend, after all. You will make sure this potion does as it's told. The book on the table over there -" Seto beckoned to the table behind him that held the almost empty flask - "shows all of my potions and what they do. It's on the page of the potion they're trying now. If anything goes wrong or you need help, go to the library down the hall. You'll find the answers there."

Seto patted Brice on the back and joined the group. They all held their cups, waiting anxiously to try this out. Brice stared at them and retreated to the table Seto had directed him to. He stared at the book. Its cover was maroon with sparkly gold lettering. The title read, "Book of Potions," and the author was listed as Seto, earning a chuckle from Brice. He stared at the crisp amber pages, burnt at the edges. Mesmerized at the detail, he stared at the page showing the correct potion.

"Age potion," he whispered aloud, reading along. "Effects: Makes animals younger in age. Effect on humans unknown."

"Everyone ready?" Brice heard Seto ask. Shouts of agreement came from the group. "Alright! On three. One...two...three!"

Upon hearing a woosh sound, Brice swiftly turned around and screamed in shock, his mouth gaping open. All of the people present had turned into toddlers.


	2. Chapter 2: Finding Answers

"Wha-WHAT?!" Brice clasped his head with two hands. "Why...WHY ARE YOU ALL TODDLERS?!" He turned back to the book and flipped through the pages. "There's gotta be an answer in here somewhere...!" Suddenly, he remembered something Seto said. Something about the effects of potions...

"Right...Seto said that the effects of potions don't differ from animals to humans," Brice recited. "So that's why they're all so young...but, what do I do?"

He turned to the toddlers teetering around the room. Sky chewed on his amulet. Ty pulled at his headset, trying to figure out what to do with it and what it was. Tyler unsteadily walked around the room, holding his stomach. Brice figured he was hungry, or maybe he just had stomach pain. Jerome also walked around the room, but seemed to be looking for something. Mitch followed him like a puppy, earning an "Aww," from Brice. Sub sat on the floor, staring at the room and taking in its contents with curious green eyes. Quentin tried to climb up to the sink used for washing potion flasks with Ian staring at him from below. Bashur watched Jerome run around the room with Mitch at his heels. Jordan yawned, leaning against the counter with a tired look on his face. Jason inspected his jetpack, wondering what it was. Martin annoyed Double, who glared at Martin. Ryan ran around, pretending to be a superhero, with his cape billowing behind him. Okward sat on the ground, watching Ant play with his amulet.

Brice suddenly realized Seto wasn't with the others. He looked around the room worriedly. He looked at the table where the book sat, and saw Seto atop a chair tucked into the table. Brice sighed with relief and wondered where Seto found the book he was reading. He also wondered how Seto got up there so fast without him noticing.

"Oh well," Brice sighed, staring at the tiny Seto. "What should I do with all of them...?" He looked around to make sure the others were alright. They looked fine, as they were all occupied with doing something. He sighed and grabbed Quentin from the ground, who looked up at the sink with longing. He turned on the faucet and showed the flowing water to the mudkip, who seemed fascinated. He turned the faucet back off and set Quentin next to Ian, who had been watching them. The two conversed in garbled speech - something Brice called "toddler language."

Brice paced around the room, trying to remember what Seto had said to do. In the state of panic he was in before, he forgot just about everything Seto had told him. While doing this, he almost tripped over Mitch and Jerome, who bumped into his legs. They recovered quickly and started running around the room again.

"Seto said something about finding answers in the..." Brice struggled to finish his sentence. "In the..." Suddenly he snapped his fingers. "In the library! That's where I need to go!"

Brice ran down the hall to the right, enveloped in darkness. When he reached the end of the hall, he found a room illuminated by golden light. He stumbled around the room, trying to find the source of the light. In the middle of the room, he found an enchanting table surrounded by bookshelves. A strange yellow light emanated from it, and the book atop it was open.

"I didn't walk up to it, so why is it open?" Brice thought aloud. He took a step towards it, and froze as a page turned. Something was definitely there. He just couldn't see it. He took a few cautious steps, then walked right up to the enchanting table.

A small, ghost-like lavender figure sat atop the page on the left. It seemed to be reading the page, possibly the entire book. Brice watched as it continued reading, not seeming to notice him. Fear built up inside him as questions blew around his mind like a tornado. Suddenly, the figure turned its head.

"GAH!" Brice flinched back from the sudden movement, yelling as he did so. The figure stood up, looking confused.

"Geez, do I really look that scary?" the minuscule figure questioned. It observed Brice for a few moments, thinking aloud. "Spiky golden hair, black T-shirt, blue eyes...You must be Brice!"

"Wh-Who are you and h-how do you know my name?" Brice stuttered.

"Master Seto's told me a lot about you!" the figure exclaimed, looking happy.

"Master...Seto?" Brice looked confused for a second, then shook his head to clear it. "You still haven't told me who you are."

"Master Seto calls me Setto, with two T's," it replied. "He says the second T stands for two, but I think it stands for tiny."

"So...Seto created you?" Brice inquired. Setto nodded.

"Though, he hasn't talked to me since yesterday," Setto realized. "Is he okay?"

Brice opened his mouth to speak, then felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down and saw baby Seto standing there. The toddler had followed him to the library, Brice presumed. He picked Seto up and showed him to Setto.

"Master Seto?!" Setto's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"He tried a potion he created earlier," Brice explained. "It happened to turn him and all the other participants into toddlers."

"Surely Master Seto knew what the potion would do and wouldn't have tried it?"

"I don't know. He said he wanted to try it with his friends, so maybe he didn't. That's all he said, really."

"Hmm." Setto stared at Brice, up and down. It (or maybe he, Brice assumed) seemed to be thinking.

"What does Master Seto find so interesting about you?" he finally asked.

"Eh...what, again?" Brice set down the baby Seto and crouched down to eye-level with Setto.

"Master Seto talks about you very often," Setto elaborated. "There must be something about you that makes it that way."

"Well, we are good friends..."

"No, there's something more. I can sense it."

Brice became embarrassed. Was Setto suggesting they loved each other?

"Haha, no, it's not that!"

"Eh?"

"I can read minds. I know exactly what you're thinking. So no, I'm not suggesting you guys love each other. But I know there's something there."

"Let's just get off this topic..."

"Alright! Books get my mind going, anyways." Setto smiled. "If you need any help, you can always come to me."

"Alright." Brice stood up again. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Setto turned back to his book as Brice picked up baby Seto. As he walked down the hall, a smile formed on his face. He had made a new friend.


	3. Chapter 3: Not Hired But Still Working

Brice headed into the center room with baby Seto in his arms, who was sniffling. He stared at the toddler with concern. Setting down Seto on a chair, he crouched down to be at eye-level with him.

"What's wrong, buddy?" he asked. Seto didn't answer; he just kept sniffling. "Come on, you can tell me," Brice coaxed.

"Lonely," Seto uttered this single word, and clung to Brice. His hands dug into Brice's shirt, and his face buried itself in Brice's chest. It was an odd position, considering Seto's legs were still on the chair. Brice sighed and hoisted Seto's tiny legs onto himself and kept a good grip on him.

"You could've played with the others," Brice told him, motioning over to the other toddlers doing whatever. Some of them stared at Brice, wondering what was going on. Seto just held on tighter at the mention of them. Brice sighed. He set Seto down, who held onto Brice's legs in resistance.

"Look," Brice began, "I can't stay with you 24/7. I need to check on the others, too, and I need to start working on a solution to turn you guys back to your normal selves. Can you understand that?" Seto slightly nodded, with an understanding look on his face. Brice patted Seto's head, as if the toddler were a dog. He then picked him up and set him down where the others were. He did a quick headcount to make sure every baby was still there.

"Oh God..." Brice mumbled. "Where'd Sky go?" Brice immediately checked every nook and cranny of the room, then the library.

"Hello!" Setto greeted Brice when he entered the library.

"Hey, Setto," Brice said, sounding rushed. "Have you seen Sky anywhere?"

"Nope, can't say I have," Setto replied. "I'll keep an eye out, though. Wish you luck!"

"Thanks," Brice muttered, disappointed and worried. He left the library in a rush and looked around the center room once more. He suddenly noticed another hallway, off to the left of the room. Heading through it, the lights immediately turned on, as if they were motion-sensored. Brice stared in awe at them for a few moments, then looked down the hall.

Dozens of animals were lined up against the walls. All of them were in cages, just looking through the glass solemnly. Most of them looked young, Brice noticed. Probably the test subjects for the potion. However, Brice noticed a familiar toddler sitting in front of the squid cage.

"Sky!" Brice shouted, numb with relief. The toddler had been attacking the glass exterior of the squid cage with a spoon, trying to hit the squid inside. Now he stared confusedly at Brice.

"I've been looking all over for you," Brice said, irritated. Sky stared up at him with wide brown eyes (under his sunglasses) and looked back to the squid cage with disdain. He began attacking the cage again. Brice quickly picked him up.

"No!" Sky shouted, struggling. He pounded Brice's arms with tiny fists. He was able to wriggle out of Brice's grip, and fell into the squid cage. Gasping, Brice reached down into the water and grabbed Sky out of it, who began crying. Laughing, the baby squid dove back into the water, taking Sky's spoon with it.

"You are going to be a troublemaker, I just know it," Brice muttered, carrying the wailing Sky back into the center room. He set the toddler on the ground next to Ty, and did another headcount.

"Grr," he mumbled, irritated. "Now Jerome's gone...Mitch, too. This is not going to be fun." Brice stalked off to the library again, muttering under his breath.

"You say you're looking for Jerome?" Brice heard Setto ask. A pause followed, then, "I don't know where he is. Brice might know."

As Brice headed in, Setto added, "Oh, there he is now! Go ask him."

"That's what I was heading in for," Brice said. "I was thinking you might know where Jerome and Mitch were. Now, I see you found Mitch."

"Heh, I didn't find Mitch," Setto responded, laughing. "He found me!"

Brice chuckled, picking up Mitch. "Well, we're off to find Jerome."

"Good luck!" Setto waved goodbye.

"Thanks!" Brice continued on his search to find baby Jerome, Mitch still in his arms. The toddler kept his grip on Brice and looked around for Jerome, occasionally calling out his name.

"Jewome!" Mitch, unable to pronounce R's well, called. "Jewome, whewe awe you?"

Brice couldn't help smiling at that; sometimes, toddlers could be so cute. He headed to the animal hall to search for Jerome there, as the other places held no sign of him. He set Mitch down, as this search might need more than just his eyes and ears.

"Come on, Mitch," Brice coaxed the little tyke, who wandered around, dawdling. "We have to find Jerome, remember? You can look at the animals later."

At the mention of Jerome, Mitch almost flew back to Brice's side. Brice took Mitch's small hand and led him along the hallway, still searching for the tiny Chewbacca. Both of them called his name, but were only met with silence.

What am I gonna do if I can't find Jerome, Brice thought. A voice at the back of his mind told him to keep his head up, but Brice found himself unable to listen to it.

The familiar growl of a wolf brought Brice back to Earth, and panic set in. He looked around. Mitch was gone again, and Jerome still hadn't come back.

"MITCH! JEROME!" Brice yelled, stumbling backwards. He ran back down the darkened hallway, looking at the cages. Horses, ocelots, birds...no wolves. Where were they?

A bark echoed through the hall, and a blood-curdling yet childlike scream erupted from nowhere. Brice looked back. There, hung by his shirt collar from the jaws of a wolf, was Jerome, crying out.

"Jerome!" Brice sprinted full-speed towards the wolf and snatched Jerome. The wolf, however, was not going down without a fight. It pulled back, and the two wrestled. Jerome, in the midst of this mess, sobbed. He didn't want to be the wolf's chew toy for tug-of-war...or worse, the wolf's next meal.

The force of grabbing Jerome from the wolf's huge teeth made Brice fly backwards and fall back-first against the ground, a wailing Jerome in his arms. Brice, still lying on the ground, hugged Jerome with all of his might, glad the toddler was safe. Jerome held on tightly, still crying from the traumatic experience. Brice sat up and cradled Jerome.

"Shhh, you're alright now," Brice comforted. The wolf snapped its jaws and yawned, its gaping maw and long, pink tongue a sight to see. It turned back to the other wolves, looking disappointed.

"Now," Brice declared, standing up, "we need to find Mitch." Jerome, looking worried, turned his head towards the other end of the hallway.

"Mitch...is gone?" he questioned, sounding confused. Brice nodded, adjusting his grip on the toddler and heading forward. He searched in the cages and found Mitch playing with the ocelots.

"There you are," Brice sighed, relieved. He picked up the toddler, only to find an ocelot kitten in the toddler's hood. He laughed and set the kitten back into the cage. With the two missing toddlers back in his possession, he headed to the main room for another headcount. Knowing all of the toddlers were safe and sound, he decided to talk to Setto in the library.

Brice stood in front of the enchantment table, which held a sleeping Setto. The miniscule figure slowly opened its eyes and sat up. He yawned, stretching.

"Ah, sorry to wake you up, Setto," Brice said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I didn't realize it was that late."

"That's alright," Setto replied. "Did you find Jerome?"

"Yep," Brice responded happily. "He and Mitch are back with the group."

"Good." Setto smiled. "Hey, I just remembered - Christmas is in the next couple of days."

"Oh, that's right!" Brice snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot. Hey, mind helping me pick out the presents and wrapping them?"

"I don't mind at all. I'll be glad to help."

"Thanks. Now, I've got to get the toddlers to bed. See you tomorrow!"

"See you." As Brice left, Setto sat in wonder. He tapped a finger against his chin, thinking.

"What makes him stand out?" Setto thought aloud. "What's so special about him? What makes him and Master Seto best friends?" He shook his head. "I'll sleep on it, I guess."


End file.
